The Fake Divination Offense

Magic and Romance #2

by Sara Raasch

Sports romance gets a Dungeons & Dragons makeover with the next book in the Magic and Romance series that follows half-giant Orok, forced into a PR relationship with a feisty, fan-favorite cheerleader.

Orok star defensive tank on the Philadelphia Hellhounds rawball team. Half-giant. Patron Urzoth, god of strength . . . only Orok’s tired of being tied to a god known for aggression. So (don’t tell his mother) he’s planning on renouncing Urzoth.

Until the cult of Galaxrien, Urzoth’s sworn enemy, ends up causing a lot of damage through their ill-advised attempts to summon him, and the followers of both deities find themselves blamed for the long-standing feud and its ramifications.

Alexo cheerleading intern with the Hellhounds. Smells like apples, which Orok only knows because he picked Alexo up. Accidentally—Orok publicly saves Alexo from a bar fight, and fans go feral for the muscly pro athlete being protective of the pint size dude-in-distress.

That’s enough to have the Hellhounds and Urzoth’s church both coming to them with a Orok and Alexo will start a PR relationship to put a positive spin on Urzoth. Orok is all set to refuse—and finally separate from Urzoth—when the team offers Alexo a starting spot on the cheerleading squad to play up the star athlete and cheerleader optics. It’s such an obvious dream come true for Alexo that Orok finds himself agreeing to the arrangement like the sap he is.

He can keep living a lie for a bit longer. But Orok starts to wonder if they can drop the fake part of this fake-relationship…

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Queer, LGBT, Adult, M M Romance, Sports

336 pages, Paperback

Expected publication May 19, 2026

About the author

Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then — her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. Her debut YA fantasy, SNOW LIKE ASHES, the first in a trilogy, came out October 14, 2014 from Balzer + Bray. It does not feature her hand-drawn pictures.

Reviews

[Ali L]

oof (bad oof)

[reverie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m… devastated. I hate reviewing ARCs so poorly. This book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2026. Orok getting his own book was supposed to be AMAZING, not… whatever happened here.

I think I started grimacing 7% of the way in, and never stopped. It never got better, just got a whoooole lot worse. I don’t even know what could have saved this book aside from a full rewrite. Something where the mc isn’t literally growling and repeating his italicized “mine” over and over just 10% into the book. The characters are so flat it was embarrassing to read. The love interest’s story felt VERY cheaply reminiscent of another book/character, but failed to deliver any of the emotional weight it needed. Everything was just a mess. I’m a mess. I set everything aside to read this and it was so bad I don’t even know if I can follow it up with anything else. Sara Raasch is (was?) an auto-read author for me but if I’d read this before any others, I don’t think I’d ever pick up another of her books.

[Samantha (ladybug.books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again very cute, very sweet, very sexy. Some parts of the story started to feel a little bit too over the top as it went on. But overall this is exactly what I wanted: a funny, entertaining fantasy romcom. I do prefer the first book but only because it’s a set up/relationship dynamic that’s I prefer.

Full review to come closer to release date (because apparently I only read my ARCs super early or super late)

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars
(I rounded it up, though)

Thank you to TOR/Bramble for allowing me to read this book so far in advance in trade for an honest review.

I have to be honest and say that this is, regretably, my least favorite of her adult books so far. I found the discussion of religious deconstruction rather interesting, but it fundamentally gets lost behind a lot of the bells and whistles of the story for me. It was just a little bit all over the place if I am being transparent. I think it tried to tackle just a little bit too much for a "rom-com".

I will also be honest and share that this particular flavor of...erm... sexual dynamics isn't one that I am a fan of personally. That doesn't make it BAD, it just makes it to where it wasn't for me and made a lot of the book somewhat hard to get through. Just not my preferred dynamic. If you're into what's going on here, you'll probably love it. I am just not big on the whole "possessive manly man protects small feminine twink/size difference" thing.

Also, she definitely explains what Rawball is and how it works, but I still absolutely have no clue. I tried my best, okay? I just don't think I am meant to understand sports, fantasy or not. I thought I had a chance at it due to my understanding of D&D... but I've got nothing. Maybe one day I will get it.

Overall, it was mostly enjoyable. There are some AMAZING jokes in this and I enjoyed the cameos from Seb and Thio a ton!

[Tori Baz · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, thank you to Tor and Bramble for the opportunity to read this book so early 🥹 This was perfection.

Orok deserves literally everything good in this world, and it was so powerful to be able to experience all of his emotions, insecurities, and hesitation from his POV. He is a character that exudes strength, and it was such a juxtaposition to hear what is happening in his brain. It also made me think about how people can perceive interactions, due to insecurities and the way people think they’re coming across vs. how they actually come across.

I truly loved the way she portrayed religion in this one. As someone who has my fair share of religious trauma for growing up in a church, I think she really nailed how much guilt you can have surrounding just wanting to follow your own way and move forward. But also having to appear a certain way for reasons that aren’t necessarily right.

ALSO. The way she got into the actual fundamentals of Rawball was a masterpiece. I can really tell that this was FUN for the author to write, because it was incredible to read. Boooo Chimeras!!!

Thank you again! This was incredible.

[Noi (in & out)]

yes.

[Ri]

One of the MMCs is a cheerleader? Omg yes!

[Chloe]

This was an absolute blast to read.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

my chest hurts i loved this so much

review:

Thank you to Bramble for the advanced copy! All thoughts are my own.

I knew Orok’s book was going to wreck me and it suuuure did! I was in love with this gentle giant in Seb’s book and I had been so curious on where he was in his journey in regards to their shared trauma.

He exudes strength and masculinity but he has worked so hard on himself to not use his size and stature to threaten or push people around like people expect him to. There was also such an interesting take on religion and how the guilt from separating yourself from what you’ve always known can manifest and affect us in our daily lives as adults.

I am OBSESSED with the dynamic between Alexo and Orok and particularly Alexo’s background. There’s so much to him and I loved how these two are just so so so down for each other and protecting each other from the world around them.

Also this sports world, despite it being a fantasy sport, was really fun to read! I have no idea how this game works but I wish I could go to a Hellhounds game. The team becoming Orok’s found family gave me the warm and fuzzies.

I devoured this in a day and I’m sure others will too. This duology is fantastic and I already can’t wait for Sara’s next one.

[Jessica Porche · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely my least fav of her books I’ve read so far. But I was SO relieved to read a romance with no “enemies to lovers” plot. Still an auto-buy/read author for me!

[Genny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am posting this review at two in the morning because I genuinely could not put this book down!! Sara Raasch's writing is engaging and humorous with characters that are easy to empathize with--and that alone makes for a great romance novel. But then she raises the stakes with magic, gods, and monsters. This book strikes just the right balance between romance and other aspects of the story. It's whimsical, sexy, funny, and heartwarming all at once.

Other things I loved about this book in no particular order: the detailed descriptions of Alexo's androgynous femme outfits, Orok using that pro athlete money to spoil his friends, and characters existing in a world where queer identities are a part of the norm and homophobia simply doesn't exist.

I would love to see more books in this setting/series!! Maybe some sapphic romance? I absolutely love the setting Sara Raasch has created and would love to see more books in this universe!!!

[Amanda Hayman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Edelweiss for the eARC. This was so so so good, Raasch is becoming one of my auto-buy authors I will read anything she writes. Divination feels like a natural continuation to Rival Wizards, but focuses on Orok instead of Seb.

Don't worry though cause we get Seb and Thio content sprinkled in too....

I don't typically read sports romance either, but this was just so good and the spice levels were 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ high spice! I loved the dynamics between Orok and Alexo, they were so cute 😍 and the story kept me guessing the whole time, especially regarding Alexo and his past.

5/5 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A worthy sequel to The Entanglement of Rival Wizards. Orok is reeling from big changes in his life: the end of a successful lawsuit against the teen military camp that nearly destroyed him and his best friend, Seb, and moving back to play professional rawball for the Philadelphia Hellhounds, putting him closer to friends he’s been avoiding. His night of celebration goes viral when he steps in to defend gorgeous Hellhounds cheerleader, Alexo, from an aggressor. Suddenly he’s in a PR relationship while trying not to become overwhelmed by his possessive feelings toward this spirited but troubled man.

Sara Raasch addiction is real, and I’ve got it bad.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC of this book that dropped like 3 hours after I finished the 1st book in this series.
This was fake dating to real dating done to perfection. I loved the found family, the great platonic relationship between Seb and Orok, the theme of leaving religion when its no longer a positive in your life even in the face of immense parental pressure, and most of all seeing Orok and Bel find someone in each other who loves them for exactly who they are.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really hope there are more books in this world! More Thio and Seb, more Bel and Orok, new characters? I don’t even care, I just need more! 😅 Sara is definitely becoming one of my favorite authors.

[maqready · Rating 5 out of 5]

i need this book so bad
like right this moment!

[Sabina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute!!!

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

when demon twink and gentle giant take on a more literal meaning…

[Gretal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute. I don't think I liked it quite as much as the first one, and I certainly wasn't expecting so much cult stuff in this sports romance, but I still had a great time reading it!

[Lyb]

I would give my first born to read this book rn

[Brittany Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded down

This was SO cute and cozy! A great follow up to Entanglement of Rival Wizards, although I definitely loved that one more. To be fair, I knew it would be hard to live up to it. Seb and Thio own my heart and the glimpses of them that we got in this one were so precious- I loved seeing them all homey and domestic.
The relationship between Alexo and Orok is so sweet and heartwarming. They are head over heels for each other and Sara always does such a great job of showing the chemistry between her characters. I particularly love how healthy and balances the relationship is. Yes, they are both very codependent I think it actually works in this specific case. They both have a lot of trauma and things they are working through, so it makes sense they would rely so heavily on each other. Orok is very obsessive in nature but Alexo loves that side of him and almost NEEDS that side of him and the reader can see that what would otherwise be a toxic relationship is actually quite well balanced by one key theme: COMMUNICATION! These two actually TALK TO EACH OTHER (I know, rare in a romance novel). If they disagree, they talk about it. If they don't like how the other is acting, they talk about it. If they need something from each other, they -you guessed it - talk about it. The miscommunication trope is one of my least favorite tropes in books and I really appreciated that it was not included here.

One thing I always love about Sara Raasch's romance books in particular is the theme of mental health that is explored. You can tell that she puts a lot of care and thought into how these characters are portrayed.
A pretty big focus of this book is Orok's trauma regarding what happened to him and Seb in camp - which is first brought up in Entanglement. I appreciated seeing Orok's point of view about this, and how it affected him and his life. Orok has a lot of trauma from this experience and the author does a great job of showing the anxiety and the codependency issues that arose from this. He is constantly working through these things and goes back to that whole communication thing with how well the couple works through it all together.

The one thing that kept this from being a full 5 star for me is the insta love. It's chapter 1 and they're already obsessed. I love the fake dating trope and was so excited to see that in this, but after only 1 chapter of "fake" dating, the communication I loved bit me in the butt when they both talked about how it's real for them. I needed the tension, the angst and yearning, but I got none of that.

[Carly Molinar · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the second installment of Magic and Romance we find Rawball Tank Orok back home in Philadelphia after 4 years away. Coming off of the lawsuit win and finally being traded to his home team Orok finds himself reuniting and celebrating with Seb & Thio at a karaoke bar. However the night takes a sudden turn when Orok makes a heroic rescue- saving a mysterious man from unwanted attention.

When it turns out the man works in the cheerleading department for Orok’s new team a PR plan, funded by the Church of Urzoth, is hatched to help both Orok and the church with better press. The plan? A fake relationship between the two.

I fell in love with Orok in The Entanglement of Rival Wizards, drawn in by his depth and loyalty. Seeing him get his own chance at love was everything I wanted and more.

This was a cleverly crafted tale, rife with magic, humor, and dynamic characters. The plot gripping— bursting with mystery, danger, and emotion.

The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. Orok and Alexo’s chemistry leapt off the page and when it finally ignited it burned white hot. They were hilarious and charming together and when Seb and Thio were added into the mix it was a laugh-out-loud riot.

Though this story was so much more than magic and mayhem. This was a story of freedom. Freedom from fear, from expectations, from self doubt. The religious trauma and PTSD were brought to life in a raw and relatable way. With nuanced and palpable depictions of the mental health struggles often left in their wake, and of what it takes to let go of the things that keep us caged.

In the end we learn that healing isn’t linear. And that with help the bad doesn’t get to poison the good.


What you’ll get:
•Half-Giant/Human
•Defensive Tank/Cheerleader
•”Rawball” DND meets NFL
•PR Fake Relationship
•Size Difference
•Possessive MC
•Mental Health Rep
•Religious Trauma
•PTSD
•Therapy Rep
•Found Family



Thank you netgalley and the publishers for an early copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

[Amy (amysbooked) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up

Review: Sara absolutely hits it out of the rawball arena again (see what I did there)! I absolutely loved the dynamic between Orok and Alexo. I loved that this book took the small glimpses of this world that we saw in Rival Wizards and expanded upon it. I really hope we get to spend more time in this world, because I adore it. This book made me smile like an idiot, laugh at loud, and even blush a few times. I loved the growth journey that we see Orok go through and (without spoilers) I loved how both Orok and Alexo were each other's strengths in different ways at different times. You definitely don't want to miss this one!

Synopsis: Orok star defensive tank on the Philadelphia Hellhounds rawball team. Half-giant. Patron Urzoth, god of strength . . . only Orok’s tired of being tied to a god known for aggression. So (don’t tell his mother) he’s planning on renouncing Urzoth.

Until the cult of Galaxrien, Urzoth’s sworn enemy, ends up causing a lot of damage through their ill-advised attempts to summon him, and the followers of both deities find themselves blamed for the long-standing feud and its ramifications.

Alexo cheerleading intern with the Hellhounds. Smells like apples, which Orok only knows because he picked Alexo up. Accidentally—Orok publicly saves Alexo from a bar fight, and fans go feral for the muscly pro athlete being protective of the pint size dude-in-distress.

That’s enough to have the Hellhounds and Urzoth’s church both coming to them with a Orok and Alexo will start a PR relationship to put a positive spin on Urzoth. Orok is all set to refuse—and finally separate from Urzoth—when the team offers Alexo a starting spot on the cheerleading squad to play up the star athlete and cheerleader optics. It’s such an obvious dream come true for Alexo that Orok finds himself agreeing to the arrangement like the sap he is.

He can keep living a lie for a bit longer. But Orok starts to wonder if they can drop the fake part of this fake-relationship…

[L.A. Dupier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book in record time and I’ve had to spend several days recovering from it. Like…I’m still replaying the scene in the car over and over in my head and the championship game…like I can’t even talk about it. So, hang on, can we just talk about the fact that Sara Raasch is a creative genius? I can’t say that enough. A portal to another dimension stitched into clothing? Genius! Seriously. I feel so so so lucky to have gotten an advanced copy of this tile because after reading the first one, I literally wasn’t sure how I was going to make it to next year. For those of you waiting…oooo it is SO worth it! I wanted Orok’s story the second we met him in The Entanglement of Rival Wizards. Like a half giant, sportsball playing, I won’t be aggressive…unless I have to, snuggle bear? Stop. Marry me immediately. I was instantly smitten with his relationship with Seb and could only imagine what he’d be like when he found romantic love of his own. And it doesn’t disappoint. And then we meet Alexo and good gracious is he not the sass and beauty of a thousand divas all rolled into one tiny little pink haired package?! I’m as smitten as Orok. Not only is the romance and the heat on point, the fantasy world is captivating and the mystery had me on the edge of my seat. I love that Raasch has us dive right in to the worlds with her without a ton of confusing world building. She’s like okay, you ready? And we’re all just nod and smile but, listen, by the end I was like “oh yeah, I definitely understand rawball. Go Hellhounds *bark bark*”
Pre-order this immediately, and thank me later.

Thank you to Tor Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

[Sara Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.

Orok, a professional rawball player, is well-known for his patron god of strength and aggression, but he's tired of being seen as too weak for Urzoth. He's ready to renounce him, when he accidentally, and very publically, rescues Alexo from a bar fight, and the church decides they need him to fix their public image with a PR relationship. Almost immediately, Orok knows he wants something more.

To be completely honest, I mostly read this because I wanted more of Seb and Thio, and they truely were still my favorite parts of the book. It was really weird having Orok talk about how he was too toxic and co-dependent of a friend, when it didn't really come across that way in book one; I also know that was kind of the point, Seb got his chance to heal, and this is Orok's.

This book was a little too insta-love for me, and not enough of a plot progression in the romance to save it. However, there were enough adorable moments (usually platonic related) that made this worth reading. And the communication!! It was really nice to see communication to avoid any of the issues we often see in a romance novel. They argued, they talked about it, simple as that. I also really enjoyed the mental health representation.

All in all, this book was cute and I enjoyed it. I don't know if I'll read this one again, but I'll continue reading everything this author publishes.

[Elley Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I slept on book one in this series (An Entanglement of Rival Wizards) because I love Sarah Raach's Royals and Romance series so much, and I was afraid it wouldn't live up to the hype. Then it blew all my expectations entirely out of the water, so I was very glad to have an ARC of this next book in the series to dive into straight away!

First - Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! *heart eyes* I really liked strong but very sweet Orok in the first book, and I'm so glad to see him get his well-deserved Happily Ever After. I was just as fascinated and transfixed as Orok with Alexo when he makes his appearance during the epilogue of book 1. There's some fake dating, mutual pining, "I want to but I shouldn't/can't" dynamics going on here that are just yummy. I really loved learning more about Orok's rawball teammates and how his relationship and dynamic with them grows and develops, especially after his last team was just awful. (Also, how did it take me until like halfway through this book to realize the rawball is a D20? smh.)

This is told in a single POV from Orok's point of view, and while I do wish we also got Alexo's version of things, the single POV style really works for this book.

This is the second book in the Magic and Romance series, and while it could probably be read as a standalone, I feel like you should really read the first book, An Entanglement of Rival Wizards, to really understand Orok coming into this book.

[katarina]

dnf @ 62%

I originally only read The Entanglement of Rival Wizards because the description of this one sounded so up my alley and I wanted to read the books in order. Rival Wizards completely surprised me and I loved it so much so I’m kinda sad this one didn’t hit quite the same.

In fake dating stories I always love the build up of tension and toeing the line between what’s real and what’s not. This didn’t really have that aspect. It started out with a sort of meet cute at a bar doing karaoke. I wasn’t a huge fan of the instalove from Orok towards Alexo. I’m a slow burner so this was no surprise but I still decided to give it a chance. Their fake relationship just felt really boring. I wasn’t connected to the relationship, real or not, and I didn’t believe in the chemistry between the two of them.

Alexo’s mysteriousness had me so annoyed for most of the beginning. He felt so hot and cold in the way that he would sometimes interact with Orok. I get he was going through things but I just desperately wanted him to communicate.

It was nice to get some cameos from Seb and Thio though.

Ultimately this story just isn’t working for me!

Thank you so much to Bramble & Macmillan for providing me with this eARC.

[Kirah M’Lyssa Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 (rounded to 5)

The world Raasch has built with these D&D-inspired urban fantasies is outstanding. I fell in love with the first book in the series, so when I saw we were getting a story centered on everyone’s favorite best friend, I couldn’t pass it up. She’s nailed the fantasy MM sports-romance vibe with the perfect balance of plot, romance, and emotional growth.

Our main character’s journey through social anxiety, codependency trauma, and understanding his worship practices adds a thoughtful layer of depth. Normally, I’m not a fan of insta-lust, but it worked perfectly in this fake-dating setup. The callbacks to the first book were just enough to make it feel connected without being repetitive. Toward the climax, the plot does get a little ridiculous—but in that fun, over-the-top way that makes fantasy so enjoyable.

I’d recommend reading the first book in the series before diving into this one; it gives important context about the characters and helps you understand the main character’s choices and backstory.

**Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for an advance copy for an honest review**

[bookstosoothethesoul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book!!! After book 1 I was so intrigued about Orak and I was thrilled to learn he was getting his own book and to no one's surprise I loved it. The PTSD rep made me feel so seen. The conversations about trauma and religious deconstruction hit so hard for me. As always, Sara Raasch writes horny, emotional books that I can't help but devour. I didn't want to put this book down. Orok falls hard and fast for Alexo and it was so fun watching him try to hold back his protective instincts. I also loved how Orok learned to see strength as a measure of what he has survived instead of needing to constantly assert his power. Seeing how religion can take a virtue like strength and twist it felt painfully relatable to some of my own experiences with religion and I was very invested in Orok's journey. Alexo is a sweetheart of a character and I was so happy to see how well suited he was for Orok in helping him find a different kind of strength.

Thanks to Bramble for the eARC!

[Amie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sara Raasch’s books are automatic favorites for me, and “The Fake Divination Offense” is absolutely no exception. On the surface, the premise sounds simple enough: a jock and a cheerleader agree to fake-date for PR purposes. But as with all Raasch novels, nothing is ever quite that straightforward.

Beneath the rom-com setup lies a deeply layered story tangled with fake identities, parental and religious pressure, extremist cults, and the long shadows of past trauma. Orok and Bel are both navigating journeys of self-healing, learning how to love themselves, claim joy, and live authentically, not just with each other but with their friends, families, and fans. Their growth feels earned, tender, and incredibly satisfying.

You will be rooting for them every step of the way, both in and out of the bedroom (and whew, the bedroom is on fire).